Program Overview

Course Description

The course OLCD-ERGO0011, Office Ergonomics and Workplace Design, is a 32-hour learning program. It is recommended that students spend an average of 8 hours per week on this course.

Course Overview

In this course, participants will learn about the nature of work typical of office-based workplaces and how this work can have profound effects on employees' musculoskeletal systems. The course will explore the use of advanced hazard identification tools to assess corresponding office jobs and review a process for using a participatory workplace approach to identify the root causes of hazards and the solutions that can mitigate them. Drawing on information from the instructor's eighteen years of first-hand experience and the latest Canadian Standards Association's Guideline on Office Ergonomics, participants will learn about the most successful, cost-effective methods of keeping employees safe by proactively controlling the hazards associated with office work.

Course Outline

Each week has a one-hour online live session with the instructor. There is a total of four hours of live sessions in this course. Students who are absent for a live session will have access to a recording.

• Week 1: Introduction to Office Ergonomics / The Ergonomics Process
• Week 2: Application of Ergonomics / Requirements of the Workspace
• Week 3: Requirements of the Workspace (continued) / How to Apply an Office Ergonomics Assessment Form
• Week 4: Interventions to Eliminate the Root Causes of Hazards

What You Will Learn

• The different types of work, from a musculoskeletal point of view, which can be found in industrial workplaces and how that can influence the type of injuries that occur.
• How to use advanced hazard identification tools to identify variables that affect the safety of employees' jobs.
• Learn about and gain practice using a participatory approach to identify root causes of hazards that place employees at risk of injury and solutions to eliminate the root causes.
• The most applicable equipment and technology to use in the correct situations to help avoid unnecessary product purchases or modifications while controlling risks of musculoskeletal injuries quickly and efficiently.
• How to identify areas within your workplace where there is room for organizational improvement and what changes need to take place for improvement to occur.

Notes

By enrolling in this course, you will be automatically enrolled in the Certificate in Ergonomics Program Management. The Faculty of OLCD recommends an intermediate level of English language proficiency for the most effective learning and participation in our online and face-to-face courses.

Prerequisites

• OLCD-ERGO0010 - Ergonomics in the Workplace (Complete)

Recommended For

Those responsible for occupational health & safety within office spaces, manufacturing operations, processing industries, business service sectors, transportation industries, and health-care facilities including:

• health & safety co-ordinators
• OH&S nurses
• physiotherapists
• occupational therapists
• industrial hygienists
• engineers
• managers
• supervisors

Applies Towards the Following Certificates

• Certificate in Ergonomic Program Management: Required

Course Details

• Section Title: Office Ergonomics and Workplace Design
• Section Schedule: Jan 12, 2026 to Feb 06, 2026
• Type: Online - Self-Paced
• Days: Wednesday
• Time: 9:00PM to 10:00PM
• Dates: Jan 14, 2026 to Feb 04, 2026
• Total Learning Hours: 32.0
• Location: Online Campus - Atlantic Time
• Instruction Delivery Method(s): Blended - Online
• Course Fee(s): $835.00
• CEUs: 3.2 CEUs
• Instructors: David Chiasson

Instructor Biography

David Chiasson, M.Sc., CPE works for Ergonomic Systems Associates Inc. (ESA). ESA is Atlantic Canada's leading human performance consulting company specializing in Ergonomics. David has over eighteen years of experience helping corporations and government departments improve their performance. He has done this by helping companies identify design issues that lead to poor performance and injury while working with them to develop and implement practical and effective solutions that improve the design, set-up, and organization of work systems, spaces, equipment, and tasks. David has a Master of Science degree with a specialization in Ergonomics, is a member of the Association of Canadian Ergonomists (ACE), and is a Board Certified Professional Ergonomist as awarded by the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE).